Grass basket - Inartaq
Sheldon Jackson Museum > Sheldon Jackson Museum Ethnographic Alutiiq/Sugpiaq Collection
SJ-II-CC-9
Grass
Height: 4.5 in.
20th century
Alutiiq
There is no known history on this piece. It was purchased by the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum from Kaye Dethridge, a Sitka dealer in Alaskana. Attributed to Alutiiq by Peter L. Corey. this is the style of twined grass basket from Kodiak Island. It would appear that the grass weaving strands are used unsplit., June Simeonoff, Alutiiq artist and weaver, saw this basket August 18, 1996 and said that she though it had been made by Fedosia Inga of Old Harbor. June had been a neighbor of Mrs. Inga's and had woven with her.
Round solid twined grass basket with low slightly flaring sides and a cover. The base is solid twining, no ornamentation. There are three spaced rounds of red and green paper curling ribbon on the wall. The green is faded on the exterior almost to the color of the natural grass but clearly visible on the interior. Spaced between the decorative rounds are spots of purple yarn caught in the weave. The cover is similarly decorated. The bands on the cover are composed of red and purple yarn. There is a small raised knob in the center. The rim is Paul's border 4 and the rim termination is R/L. The actual termination on the body are sewn down with white thread while the cover the grass elements are braided for approx. one inch. the inside of the basket is roughly finished.